priestly pioneering

Stacking stones. Making signs to point the way, guiding others in how to move forward. Memorials of God's lavish faithfulness...to remind us, and those to come.So when the people set out from their tents to cross the Jordan with the priests carrying the ark of the covenant before the people (Joshua 3:14)The ark of the covenant, the very presence of God. The presence to which closeness is needed. “If Your presence does not go with us, do not lead us up from here." (Exodus 33:15) The presence of the Lord, which I long to be surrounded by. The presence I'm not suffocated by, but breathe for very life. "For the LORD will go before you, And the God of Israel will be your rear guard." (Isaiah 52:12) Just as Moses promised it would happen as he passed into eternity, “It is the LORD your God who will cross ahead of you." (Deuteronomy 31:3)and when those who carried the ark came into the Jordan, and the feet of the priests carrying the ark were dipped in the edge of the water (for the Jordan overflows all its banks all the days of harvest), the waters which were flowing down from above stood and rose up in one heap...So the people crossed opposite Jericho. And the priests who carried the ark of the covenant of the LORD stood firm on dry ground in the middle of the Jordan while all Israel crossed on dry ground, until all the nation had finished crossing the Jordan. (Joshua 3:15-17)The priests were first to dip their feet in the swirling waters. The flood stage, overflowing waters. This was not a serene, placid glass surfaced lake. Imagine it more like a raging, aggressive, threatening river. Imagine the priests, first to dip their feet in the water in obedience by faith, seeing the waters recede and the very ground become dry. The courage, obedience in the face of fear, just to take that first step.Pioneering is priestly. They had an anointing of spiritual leadership which had very practical steps...literally. My heart catches and leaps at this. Wants to run away but is compelled by something much deeper. Someone much deeper, calling me into the deep.and Joshua said to them, “Cross again to the ark of the LORD your God into the middle of the Jordan, and each of you take up a stone on his shoulder, according to the number of the tribes of the sons of Israel. (Joshua 4:5)From the middle (the deepest, lowest point...the hardest point it could be said) they were to pickup and take stones to the shore.“Let this be a sign among you...Signs, showing the way. Telling what should be done. Markers of where to go....so that when your children ask  later...That later, could literally mean tomorrow. Oh, how quickly I can forget! How quickly those we hold the hands of can lose sight of the glory of what has just happened. It's been said that "we leak"...I know I do. ...saying, ‘What do these stones mean to you?’ (Joshua 4:6)Not "what do these mean" in a relativistic way, but in a personal way. The assumption is that these stones will produce a deep response in us, in me, that is expressed externally in a way that it causes people to ask. Whether is a look, a catch of the breath, a word spoken, the path my feet take towards a celebration of His faithfulness...oh that my life would cause people to ask.then you shall say to them, ‘Because the waters of the Jordan were cut off before the ark of the covenant of the LORD; when it crossed the Jordan, the waters of the Jordan were cut off.’ So these stones shall become a memorial to the sons of Israel forever.” (Joshua 4:7)He is the covenant God, His name and character are on the line as the maker and the keeper. His presence leads and brings the miracle so desperately needed...that I wouldn't even dare to hope to ask for. Yet He knows. He acts on our behalf. None other do I want to follow! And this memorial of stones stacked, it is to those to come. From God to us. We make memorials to great people and events of old. He commands us to make memorials of His work to us...for us. We are the ones who need reminders.And those priestly pioneers, they're also the last to come up and out of the middle. Leading the way in obedience by faith, and abiding in God's presence while each last pair of feet made it safely across on dry land. And as those priestly pioneers stepped foot on dry ground, "the waters of the Jordan returned to their place, and went over all its banks as before." (Joshua 4:18)In Christ, we are a royal priesthood. Called to walk in obedience by faith to pioneer. To be the first to step into the waters, seeing His great deliverance. And our very lives are living stones. We become the stacking stones. The thing that causes those to come to ask, "What does it all mean?" (1 Peter 2:4-10). Ebenezer stones crying out "Thus far, the Lord has helped me" (1 Samuel 7:12).Who are we? Such beauty is too wonderful.